1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reproducing apparatus for reproducing a signal from a recording track having a data code recording area in which a data code indicative of date, time, frame number or the like or a search marker is recorded.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has heretofore been known that there is a VTR recording format according to which data codes indicative of date, time, frame number and the like and control information such as a search marker are recorded together with a video image and sound. On the basis of such a VTR recording format, there is also provided an arrangement which has, in addition to the function of recording and reproducing a video image and sound, various functions such as the function of displaying management information, such as date and time, and the function of performing a search operation.
FIG. 2 shows an example of an 8 mm VTR format. As can be seen from FIG. 2, a recording track TR, which is made up of a video and audio signal recording area "a", a PCM audio signal recording area "b" and a guard band area "c" provided therebetween, is formed on a magnetic tape TA, and data codes indicative of date, time, frame number and the like or a search marker is recorded in the guard band area "c".
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the arrangement of a part for reproducing the data codes or the search marker in the conventional VTR.
The conventional VTR includes a rotary head 1 disposed at a location on the outer circumference of a rotary head drum, a rotary head 2 disposed at a location spaced 180.degree. apart from the rotary head 1, a switch 4 for switching the rotary heads 1 and 2 therebetween in accordance with a head switching pulse (hereinafter referred to as "SWP") inputted from an SWP input terminal 3, a data code demodulating circuit 5, a search marker demodulating circuit 6, and a system control circuit 7 for providing control over the entire VTR apparatus.
The output side of the switch 4 is connected to each of the input sides of the data code demodulating circuit 5 and the search marker demodulating circuit 6. The output sides of the respective demodulating circuits 5 and 6 are connected to the input side of the system control circuit 7.
FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) are schematic views respectively showing the waveforms of SWP trains and examples of different reproduction outputs from guard band areas on individual recording tracks in each of which a data code or a search marker is recorded. Parts 1) of FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) respectively show the waveforms of the SWP trains, and Part 2) of FIG. 3(a) shows a reproduction output from guard band areas in which data codes A, B and C are individually recorded (for example, the data codes A, B and C indicate frame data, time data and date data, respectively), while part 3) of FIG. 3(b) shows a reproduction output from guard band areas in which the aforesaid data codes A, B and C as well as search markers D are individually recorded. The data codes A, B and C are recorded in the guard band areas on the respective recording tracks in that order, while the search markers D are continuously recorded in the guard band areas on a predetermined number of recording tracks.
The following explanation will be made in connection with a case where the recording tracks having the guard band areas shown in Part 3) of FIG. 3(b) are reproduced by the conventional VTR of FIG. 1.
When the recording tracks in a section 1 are scanned by the rotary heads 1 and 2, the data codes indicative of date, time, frame number and the like are demodulated by the data code demodulating circuit 5. On the basis of the demodulated data codes, the system control circuit 7 causes a display (not shown) to display the data codes indicative of date, time, frame number and the like.
Also, when the recording tracks in a section 2 are scanned by the rotary heads 1 and 2, search marker data is demodulated from the output signal of the switch 4 by the search marker demodulating circuit 6, and a search marker processing is executed by the system control circuit 7.
However, the above-described conventional VTR has a problem. For example, if the recording tracks having the guard band areas shown in Part 3) of FIG. 3(b) are reproduced, the data codes indicative of date, time, frame number and the like will be continuously displayed during scanning of the section 1 and a section 3. However, during scanning of the section 2, since the search markers are recorded in place of the data codes in the section 2, i.e., since the data codes are absent in the section 2, the display of the data such as date, time, frame number and the like is interrupted.